Ķiksis Wins World Masters Track Sprint Title

Latvian track cyclist Ainārs Ķiksis has won a gold medal at the Masters World Championships, held at the London velodrome in Great Britain. The victory came in the sprint, his signature discipline.

Fastest in qualifying

The cyclist from Valmiera, who also holds a world record in his category, clocked 10.625 seconds in the M50–54 sprint qualifying. That was the best time among the 20 competitors. The closest rival, Czech rider David Gothard, was 0.4 seconds slower.

The road to the title

In the knockout rounds, Ķiksis beat Finland's Juhu Ketunen in two heats in the quarterfinals. In the semifinal his opponent was the home rider Lee Steeple, whom the Latvian also defeated in both heats.

In the final he met Poland's Maciej Teliszewski. He was more than 0.3 seconds faster in the first heat and secured the win in the second as well. It is his first gold medal at this championship.

An experienced competitor

Ķiksis is one of Latvia's most decorated track cyclists. Over the past 15 years he has competed successfully in Masters categories, occasionally also racing in the elite group. He currently also works with the Lithuanian national track cycling team and helps several young Latvian athletes.